Dunoon-native, Lewis Strapp, returned to steadier shores recently, with his move to Airdrieonians materialising after a period out in Finland, but the defender faces an emotional return to the place where he perfected his craft, as his Airdrie side take on Greenock Morton at Cappielow this weekend.
And Strapp is certain they’ll be in for a battle on Sinclair Street, adding: “It’s a difficult fixture for anybody.
“For us it’s difficult – it’s somewhere you need to go and roll the sleeves up and you know what you’re getting.
“It’s going to be an aggressive game, so we just have to make sure we’re at it and playing our own game and hopefully we can come out with the three points.”
Strapp spent the majority of his adolescence at Morton and went on to make over 150 for the Ton after being promoted form the youth academy.
After leaving the club two seasons ago, but returning not long after without securing a move away, the left-back is keen to make an impression, despite his previous connections.
He said:”It’s a bit of a weird one – my first time going back as an opposition player – so I don’t know what the emotions will be like, I don’t know what reception I’ll get, but I’m looking forward to it.
“I’m going back down to Cappielow and into the away changing room for the first time ever I think, so it should be fun.”
The Diamonds have enjoyed an upturn in form since the turn of the year, winning three on the spin, but suffered a heavy defeat to Dundee in the Scottish Cup last weekend.
But the defender is still confident it will not knock his team off course, as the Lanarkshire side aim to perform the great escape in the Scottish Championship.
He said: “The second-half was a lot better.
With these teams, they just punish you if you give them any sort of chances, so hopefully no momentum’s lost.
“we are more worried about the league – we’ve got to sort that out first and foremost – so we’re going game by game and hopefully we can kick on.”
Despite Airdrie’s dire situation as the basement side in the division, Strapp seems to be enjoying life in the red and white and is keen to get more minutes under his belt after a stop-start return to Scottish football with injury.
He added: “I’m enjoying it at Airdrie, I think there’s more scope for minutes on the pitch.
“I think I’ve been quite unlucky – I joined, I got knocked out, then two weeks later I hurt my shoulder – so I’ve obviously been wanting a lot more minutes but things just haven’t went my way unfortunately, I’ve just got to get on with it.
“but I’m enjoying it still, the building’s good – loving it in there at the moment – it’s run really well, I’m enjoying being in with the boys – obviously I know a lot of them – and I’ve been surprised with how good they’ve been since I’ve come in.
“I can’t complain, I’m really enjoying it here at the moment.”
